Straw hat



.3. WATTS sTRAw HAT Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITED STATES THMAS J'. WATTS, OF` BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A

COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF' MARYLAND.

STRAW HAT.

Appiicanon inea Deventer io, 1924.l seran Manasse.

To' all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS Jv. `Vifrrrs, a citizen of theUnited States of America,

residing in the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Straw Hats, of which the following is a specification.

A wellknown andl generally recognized defect incident to allstraw hatsof ythe stif, close-fitting variet as the sailor-hats worn by men and boys is the eXtreme-rigidit of the structure, particularly at the base o the side crown where it joins the jbrim" and where with the mere intervention ot'` the sweat-band or leather which has 'but a slight iifiishioning effect, it bears directly against the head ot the wearer.

The rigidity of the hat at this point results not only in discomfortbut in agrcater or less degree of actual injury, arresting the circulation/n the scalp, interfering with the growlthoi the hair and causinghcadaclie.

7:This ditiiculty has to some .extent been overcome in the manufacture of silk hats, dcrbies and felt hats by theuse of a softer material connecting the brim and crown o't the hat and formingthe base of the crown and the inner portion ofthe brim where they contact the head, and the iinprovement ot' stili straw hats has been attemptedl along these lines by the obvious expedient ot inakine' the entire fabric at this point of a. wholly diti'ercnt straw supposed to be inherently more flexible but which does not by this merc substitution ot materials give any up;

preciable increase ot iexibility, This variation in texture has been found objectionable on account of the appearance, particularly7 in connection with the popular typel ot sailor hat made of heavy saw-tooth braid' the insert 'ot' narrow smooth braid is glariugrly apparent and not desirable.

The objectot this invention is to produce a hat" which is flexible at the point named and of almost the same' uniform appearance and preferably in the main ol the saine material as the stift' straw hats, particularly of the saw-tooth pattern, `though it may be'applied to other hats. The improved hat is extremely ilexible'as to the portions .immediately adjacent and in contact with thel head of the wearer, giving the 'feeling and comfort of the softest felt and the coolness otra stra-iv hat togetherwith the style and appearance of a stiff sailor hat. o

The rigidity of the regulartype of sailor hat and other stiff straw hats results not so much from the use of alicavy braid as from the application to the hat sizing or, between the adjacent braids and'assists in holding,Y them in position, the assistance ot' the sizing;- material being necessary to hold SSIGNOR TO THE TGWNSEND'GRACE after sewing of 'a' stiiienuig material which enters' the braids in position on account of the in- A visible stitch which instead of being passed throughl andthrough` the hat, merely connects the edges of the braids being passed '4 under the surface but not through the overlyingV out-er edges ot the braid. Some hats have been seivcd through and through at this point and the sizing partially omitted.

All the improvements in the direction named actually result from the omission or partial omission of sizing' rather than from variation ot' fabric. The use of finerstraw l'ully sir/ed does not give any beneficial re: sult.' The through and tllroughsewing of t-he coarse straw and the use of the smooth tine straw braid at this lpoint produce an unsightly.' hat and: one which has only slightly increased iiexibility even whenthe sizing is reduced. lt cannot be fully dis'- penscd with, some sizing is necessary to preserve the straw. l v l '.lhe applicant has discovered that a much more flexible construction than' either of those heretofore known can be produced by forming a composite braid of saw-toothed and smooth material as sennet and shansi overlapped andsewed together .longitudinallyf. Sonnet is a flat wide straw used to malte heavy saw-toothed braid of the kind.` used 1n the manufacture oflnens stiti' sailor,

hats with a rough saw-tooth finish, and lshansi is a, tine straw used. in the manufacture ol smooth braid from which ASmooth straw liats,other than Pana-ina hats, are made. Both ot these materials are common stock articles well-known to straw hat manufacturers b v these tei-nis, This composite braid is inherently more .substantial and stiller than the full sonnet generally used in the ii'ianufacture of sailorl hats, but the combining' in this way -of the strips of material which are preferably si'iw-tootl'icd split sennet and shausi -gives a lateral hinging teeth in the tiem il, portion eii'eet 'which in the completed structure of the hut results in u remarkable und hitherto unequulled degree of tlerihility at the points already mentioned Where this material is used for 'this purpose.

Iihis new umteriul hasJ the n'druntugjes over the use ot uniform tine Straw 'tor thiS purpose not out)- ot increased llexihilit'y hut it priere-nts teeth with the suine spacing as in `the reruuihder o the hat, tiring nnitormii'zy o't' appearance. lt. muy he eeired through nd through without ina-king the stitches ugmfrent. und it is stronger than the other braids mentioned, so that .when Sewed 'through and throiigrh practically all the sizing may he omitted without surriiee ot the strength und duruhility. rVlie resultii y flexible Streu hat tuhrio 'l'orniingj the head contacting Zone if; ot it'ull strength, liexihlo enough to give :4S degree ot Comfort as the softest telt' and itsV upi'ieiirunee so resembles; the iet ot the Suirtoiith :structure as to rire the d ed unitm'urity.

The hat which is ifihustrated has. the inuiii portion ofthe Crown und hrin'i inude ot Sim'- toothed bruid with invisible sewing connecting the hruids together and the usual stitiening assisting in holding the hruids. the buse of the crown and the inner edge ot the brim oeing tor-ined of a composite hruid, one partei the hruid ionsisting. of A smooth Weave and the other ot u sow-tooth straw Corresponding to the suiv teeth of the full .fsennet ot which the rest of the het niude`y the double braid Structure proif'idiner mu e spur-ed uf; iu the. the hut und heure produco't the sott portion o't the et: oli the stift or inuin l. nrain structure et ing :in uppeurane het Similar to t' structure.

.ln the ueeornpruii'ingg drawing l hure ilinstr-ated o Shrew het en ;iodg'ing the'teu tures of my i Jention in the preferred torni.

ln the drawing;

Figure l. is n side elevation ot the hut.

l lire u. plan ot the hut which if; tothe Showingl ot the itziiirie. fragmentary vertical si, tion ot Figure i?, 1 it nieutury elevation con pooling' to ltlitegure und looking' at the 'im `Cronin und in ini 'troni the right ot the uis seen in Figure Il: hoth figures heinfz;

is nu enlurgy d plan of the douhle 'n thA :runniruetiiie ot the flexible portie he hut one nieuiher ot the hraid being broken ott" stort ot the other to expose the latter for the purijoses ot 'lull illustrafrom. A

ffifrr the drawings by numerals, each of' eed to indicate the suine or in the, di tteient tig/uren the, hat if is of the popular type. ot

hats, 'though it :muy he any iii-.iu

smilarpar l as ,illu ments Sailor f5; Leseyem or' :i stitl' straw hut. Siu-h lmts are ordinarily niude throughout of sawtooth hraid Il, the most populur material being full sennet overlapped und served with invisible .etitehes 4. "the hrziid is in u single line extending outward iu :i spiral from the centre Aol' the top ot' the rroirn und down the Sides.

rThe important. texture ot the invention resides in the pioiieion of u tlexihle urea ut the portion or Contact zone ol the hat re- 4terred to, which has the desired property ot tlexihility to :i greuter degree than hithertot'ore uttuined in this renner-tion und is ot' Siniilnr uppiurunre to th(` remainder ot the hut Structure undof eipiul fatrengjtli midduruhilitnr. 'lo this end l inulre the sti-:iw t'iihrie :it thi` point ol :L composite hruid eoueisting;1 otl Str-ands or strips ot ditl'erent straws pretieruhly ronipriing :i strain' ons sennet like' the remainder ot' the hut. und other preferuhh; :sinooth 5pii inej inuteriul (5 shunei f'onneetml together to torni e ingle bruid. The. ron'ihiniir;r of thev two kinds ot braid iu this way gives :rtull sized bruid ot Sutii rientstrength to he used Without adhesive when sewed through and through, und the ronihinution of the two straws provides for the, presentation ot edges and surfaces like the 'full Sonnet or rineipul material and ggjires a spacing; o t the 'rough edges corresponding to the rest of the hat enhanei;; the etl'eet of uniformity.

lu ueeordanre with in'y invention l provide. :i composite struw hruid 7 eonsieting ot' u :atrund or Strip ot Saw-tooth senuet 3 or other dist iuetire material like the reetI of the hut und e strandor strip of tine str uw ne shuuui theorie overlying the other, the two heine' overlapped to gire the desired width ot hruid equal to that in the rest ot they hut und stitched through und through with u line oi Stitrhing 8 which holds the thiininwses of -trip.-s 5 und G in the. relation in u'hirh they appear in Figure 5 or otherrijiae seeuied. tor/ming u hrziid which when eewed into the hut etrueture at the inner portion ot1 the, rim und the. hase ot the eide rron'n :is prerioui-tly described, the neighhoring;` lines oi liruid ot this, type being lapped one over the other und seu'ed together hy through und through stitches 9 forms a flexihle straw fnhrie of sutieient strength to resist thi` etreeses to whieh it, is suhjeut in use, without the necessity tor strengthening the fahrie hy means ol glue or other adhesive, which appears in the capacity of u li titlening find strengthening iuziterinl iu other strziw huts. und in. the reinuini'ler of the structure of the hat which is the suhjeet of the invention. 5

lVhile l have desrrihed the new forni ot .hruid :is composed of hruided shansi und split sonnet, it may of' Course. within die scope ot the invention he couetruirted ot' other news or materials having identiwil' material,

, greatly "ifi kordin ary the important result invention being; the" con'- stl'nction ofthe zone or" the hat `iinnlediatiely in contact with the head of a type ot braid which may lee e giving' tlr l necesaar use ot' gine ol other or desired properties obtained by the i' atrcngth withont the etitl'cning and adhesive attaining the highest. degree ol' giving uniform appearance of an still' hat, and alsoconcealingi,

the through and through sewing.

flcx ibility,

disguieing well through and tllrongln' Thehat which ie the'snlljeet ot tlie in-` vclltion is more eonlfortab increased flexibility o tactine' portion, and of mole pleasingr appearance, dne to the uniform spaein,\r ofthe saw-teeth, than any hat of' this general type previously offered.

l have thus described specifically 'and in detail a single embodiment of my invention in order tllat the nature and manner of eonstrut-ting the sinne ina).y be clearly under stood; however, the specific terms herein are used descriptively rather than in a limiting sense, the scope ot the invention being defined in the claims..

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A braid for Vthe flexible portion ot' 4lnelrs sailor hatsand the like, the sinne com" sting' ot' a stri-p ot' a fine straw and a strip ot' eoarser braided straw ot rolafhened distillati ing placed parallel, the other, and a thro tudinal seam connec ugh and tllrough longiting the two together, t'olnling a braid of standard width havingr one roughened edge and one smooth edge portion. i 2. A straw braid for straw hats eolnpoSed of relatively coarse straw braided to give' a saw-toothed effect and a braided strip of rclativelj7 fine straw, one overlying the other, the composite braid presenting;r one saw-toothed edge and one smooth` edge.

3. A straw hat having the main portion of the crown and brlln made of saw-tooth sonnet braldstiftened and seein-ed by means ot a stifl'eninf; flexible portion 'containing than the maill portioll, the fl connecting the brim and crow inn' of saw-toothcd nennet and ternately and overl lect h are spaced exihle 'portion n. alld eonsistsllansi laid alapped so that the saw apart a distance substantiallj.y crplatto the spacing ot the saw teeth in the lnain structure, and longitudinal seams extending through andthrough the shansi and split sonnet where they overlap und hold the hat struetnre together.

4. A straw ha i of the brim and crown composed of rough, braid stilelled by means of all adhesive material, stitching; l

smooth braided lolding the braids in posi vc outline, the two be' one partially overlying;

braids and a `flexible and adhesive material and a less adhesive .this 8th day o t having the main portions tion, and a flexible head cont-acting portion connectingr the brim and crown composed of a rough straw and e Slnootlifine straw laid alternately and overlapped and stitching,y holding;l thi-nl together so tra'. thorough pol-tions are substantially equally spaced, the flexible portion containing lese Sizing lliatcrial than the main portionvo't the hat structure. i' i A ,straw hat havingtlle main portions ot" the crown and briln made ot' a roughsitraw braid, invisible stitchingr holding the braids ill ythc constructed relation, a stiftening adhesive also assisting in holding thev head-contacting porcrown and the inner saine consisting of a le full width of the tion at the base 'of the edge ot' the brim, the composite braid of tl rough braid comprising a strand ot' smooth fine etraw -and a strand o I and a seam fastening them together, the braid being overlapped. and stitching,r sewin;r the overlapped portions together whereby the edges of the rough braid ill the flexible pol-tion are spaced snllstantially eqnall to the spacingr of the edges' of the rougi braid in the lnainportion, the flexible portion containing less than themain portion of' the hat.

fi. A straw hat'having the main portions of the brim and crown composed of rough braid stiftened by means of an adhesive Inatcrial, invisible inposition; and a flexible liead-contacting portion connecting the brim and crown composed of a rough straw and a Smooth fine straw laid alternately and overlapped and stitching holding them togethe rough portions are substantially equally spaced, the sewimgy through the overlap, the flexibl containing, less sizing material main portion ofthe hat structure.

7. rlhe method of making ay straw hat having a still' brim and crown, and a flexible llead-contactingr portion which eonsistsin forming); the brim and crown of braid which is overlapped and sewer] together 'at the overlapped portion. and securing the same by nleans of a sizingr and stitl'ening' adhesive material and forming,r a. composite braid by' overlapping strips of straw fabric laterally and sewingr theni together, constructing the lower portion of the bri in tio'n of the crown of the romposi and sizing the 'composite portion' to a degree than the remainder of the hat;

Signed by me at Baltimore, Maryland t December, 1924.-.

e portion than the less Witnesses: 1

Pon'rnn ll. FLAUTT, E. W'EHMEYER.

f rough material,

extending through andv aiy stifleniner andadhesive stitching holding the braidsv r so that the los and the inner por- I te braid, 

